do-over

Do-over day.

Day 5 was originally supposed to be at Hollywood Studios.  We were gonna make Rope Drop, follow the crowd to Toy Story Mania, grab a fastpass, and then go to Starring Rolls for breakfast.  Well, that didn't happen.  Instead we took our time getting ready, which included gussying up the Pea in her pirate wear, and headed for Magic Kingdom.

She was bound and determined to do all the Pirate stuff she missed. 

Look what I found!

Well, after riding Pirates of the Caribbean with no wait, and me excited to ride again AND grab a fastpass, she decided she was OVER the pirate stuff.

 WHA?!

She did not like the little drop, or the part where it feels like you are in the middle of canon fire, and at sometime between 8am and 9am Jack Sparrow went from being her hero, to a scary guy to avoid.  I was bumfuddled.  I had it all planned out beautifully so that we would be able to take full advantage and was even scheming to make sure she got picked to go onstage for the Tutorial (and by scheming I mean: get there early, and cross fingers).

Off to Pixie Hollow we went...hoping she still liked Fairies by the time we got there.

Still love the Fairies! whew...

There was about a 15 minute wait for the Fairies, which by the time we were done and left, was near 45, so it worked out we went when we did.  She thoroughly enjoyed meeting Tink, and on a side note to those who call me Tink sized, just so happens I am.  Exactly...except with bigger boobs. 

I had made the mistake of mentioning a special treat in Adventureland that we would try at some point during the day (A Dole Whip) and after she asked for about the 15th time if she could have it "NOW?" I gave in.  She LOVES pineapple, had a pineapple popsicle in Epcot and said it was "the best thing ev-ah" so I figured I would get her a dole whip and she would exclaim IT was the best thing evah, and because I was the finder of this, would therefor be the best mommy ever.  Not so much.  She was not a fan, and most of it melted and went in the trash.  So sad.  So very sad.

She found a buddy to wait for the show with.

Celebrate a Dream Come True

We abandoned Adventureland and headed for the castle.  It was about 15 minutes until show time and we were able to grab a good spot to watch it.  She really loves the shows and parades so we try to fit in as many as we can.  After the show we stayed put because the Block Party Bash was headed our way.  I was hoping she would get up and dance, and dance she did.  She also got to walk with Dale, which made her day...she came back gushing "Mommy that was so cool, he kissed my hand!"

Walkin' with Dale during Block Party Bash

One of the dinners we had to cancel was with Pooh and friends at Crystal Palace, and while we were not able to get another dinner, we were able to score a lunch, so off we headed after the Bash.  This is always a must do for us (I say that like we go all the time...we have been to WDW twice, we have eaten there twice) because we love the Pooh characters, and she likes the kids buffet area.

Winnie the Pooh!

Tigger greeted us right away, then Piglet and Pooh, and finally Eeyore.  The characters signed our book and took pictures, and at the end of the lunch the server brought out a birthday card and cupcake and her and the Pea sang Happy Birthday (complete with the Cha-Cha-Cha!).  I had forgotten that there was a birthday celebration tied to the reservation, so that was a nice little surprise and extended my celebration a bit.

Apparently not a Sorcerer

Can we go again?

After our lunch I let the Pea lead the way and do what she wanted and for the most part we just enjoyed Fantasyland.  We did the Pooh ride and grabbed a fastpass for later, Regal Carousel, Philharmagic, and of course, It's a Small World.  We even rode the Liberty Belle a few times, which she said was "so cool." (who knew?)  Then she mentioned the trains and my brain got to working and I hatched a plan. 
We headed to Frontierland to watch the parade, then beelined it to the Railroad station and rode it all the way to the front of the park.  Then we jumped on the Monorail and rode to Grand Floridian so we could catch a bus to Hollywood Studios.  I was determined to see the Osborne Lights, and even though the Pea didn't seem all that crazy about the idea she did want to see the Muppet movie, so I bribed her with that in order to not hear too much whining.

Muppets in 3D

I'm convinced we picked up some pixie dust (probably in Pixie Hollow) because it all timed out perfectly.  The train, Monorail, and bus all pulled up as we were walking up to them.  There was no wait at the Muppets and the lights turned on while we were in the Movie so by the time we got around to going through, the crowd had thinned just enough (it probably helped Fantasmic was going on and a bunch of folks were there) we could go through and get a few pictures.  I was a little bummed that the Pea did not enjoy the lights like I thought she would.  She LOVES holiday lights, we drive around every year, every chance we get, and just look, and have heard on more than one occasion "MOM, MOM, MOM, LOOK! they have a reindeer, ooooh, and a Santa! WOW" but I think in this case it was just too much for her.  I hate to say it, but because there was so much, and it was so perfect, the little things got lost...she didn't know where to look.

 We jumped a bus to the Contemporary, and then the Monorail back to Magic Kingdom, and got ready for the parade.  I staked out an absolutely perfect spot, an hour ahead of time, right on the ropes and in a corner, because she wanted so badly to see it...and she slept through it. 
















Looking back on the trip it was one of our better days, mostly because it just fell into place.  Our two "plans" got scrapped, and some of the things I thought she would love she didn't, but she loved some of the things I didn't know she would, and I started to feel confident that I could get us around without too much stress. 

The Disney transportation system is fantastic but can be very overwhelming and confusing.  On our first trip we ended up on the wrong monorail, wrong boat, and wrong bus, more than once, and as a result lost valuable time...this time I had it down, and it felt good.

It may seem crazy to research and learn before a vacation, but I am glad I spent so much time doing just that.  Knowing ahead of time how the transportation worked, knowing which rides get busy when, knowing which things to show up ahead of time for, and which things you can stroll over to as they start, really allowed us to wing it and not spend all our time in lines or frustrated because we didn't have a good view.  If I could give only one piece of advice for first timers (or those who haven't gone in years) it would be: research.  Learn as much as you can, look at the maps AHEAD of time, and get a general knowledge (or an app on your phone) of how to get around.